The Pirates are still looking to get to the place they want to be. This group is very up and down. For Arizona they are in a similar spot, just .500 as this is being written on Thursday.

The additions they made have not lived up to expectations but thankfully no team is running away from the crowd in the NL West just yet.

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates have been so good over the last few seasons that maybe this year they were bound for a dip. The pitching has not been there this season and the offense is not an overwhelming force to carry the team along.

Maybe they are waiting for Andrew McCutcheon to get hot and everything will be right with the world but really they just need a clutch hit or two more per week.

Looks like Jon Niese might be this year’s beneficiary of that Ray Searage magic. So far he is 2-0 this season with very strong peripherals. Maybe it works best on lefties – see Francisco Liriano and J.A. Happ.

The biggest difference last year to this might be the bullpen. Last year they led the Majors in ERA and right now they are 22nd with an ERA of 4.28. Other than Cole they don’t have a lot of guys who usually work deep so they need those guys to perform.

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks are hoping to make the NL West a three team race this season. So far they have yet to put fear into their opponents but with Zach Greinke turning in his best outing of the season earlier in the week maybe this group is starting to soar.

The offense has been OK even though stalwart Paul Goldschmidt has yet to heat up.

They have six players already with multiple homers this season. In that park maybe this is the top slugging team in the NL outside of Colorado.

Lefty Patrick Corbin has been very good in the rotation so far. Injuries cost him all of 2014 but now it looks like he is a dependable arm once again, and he doesn’t have to do all of the heavy lifting in the rotation.

No bullpen has pitched more innings than Arizona, which is not a good sign. They are getting productive innings from this group but you have to wonder if there is a burnout coming if they keep this up for too long.

MLB Baseball Betting Trends:

Over is 8-1 in PIT last 9 overall.

Over is 8-1 in PIT last 9 on grass.

Over is 8-1 in PIT last 9 Fri. games.

Under is 7-1 in Corbins last 8 home starts.

Under is 7-2 in Corbins last 9 Fri. starts.

Under is 7-3 in Corbins last 10 on grass.

Free Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Arizona Diamondbacks MLB Prediction:

Maybe I am a slow learner but I am still a believer in the Pirates this season, I think they are just off to a slow start. This is a could value opportunity as I expect they will be an underdog on the road with Niese on the hill.

The key will be keeping the ball in the park to take advantage of a strong defense, especially in the outfield. Corbin was roughed up in his lone home start this season for not heeding that maxim.

4* Free MLB Betting Pick: Pittsburgh ML

The Pirates are not pitching the way they have at the back end of games but I think that will come around and give their offense a chance to make the difference in this one.

MLB Free Score Prediction: Pittsburgh 6 – Arizona 4

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About The Wiesguy

5 Long years ago in a galaxy far far away the Wiesguy was a newcomer to the handicapping scene. Now...not so much. A true expert. Hailing from Toronto, Canada he is always sweet on the underdogs and you can often find his thoughts, musings and picks at moneydogs.blogspot.com.